IOC, 



ENGLAND. 



*"** in England. A. penelope, the wigeon, migrates from Eng- 

 Y~~ r ' land to the north for the purpose of breeding, and re- 

 turn* in November: it is sometimes domesticated. A. 

 acutfl, the pin tail. A. fcrruginca, fcrnipnous duck ; 

 tlii< is a rare bird in England. A plnrialis, the long- 

 tailed duck, is only a transient visitor here. A. ferinii, 

 ih pochard ; this bird is very common in the poulterers 

 shops in London, where they are called dun-birds. A. 

 querquedula : The garganey continues in England only 

 during the summer months, after which it migrates smith- 

 ward. A. crecca, the teal ; birds of this species arc 

 common in the London markets. A. domestica, the 

 tame duck, will be properly considered under the agricul- 

 ture of England. A. boschas, wild duck, is taken in 

 great numbers in the fens of Lincolnshire. A. fuligahi, 

 tufted duck. 



Genus Mergas. M. merganser, the goosander. M. 

 minutus, the lough diver : this bird is seen only in 

 the north of England, and there only during the win- 

 ter. 



Genus Alca. A. arctica, the puffin : this bird is seen 

 on the shores of the north of England, about the middle 

 of April, for the purpose of breeding. A. torda, the 

 razorbill, breeds in some parts of this country, but 

 more commonly prefers the western islands of Scot- 

 land. 



Genus ProceUaria. P. pelagica, the stormy peterel ; 

 and P. puffinus, the shearwater, are occasionally seen off 

 the coasts of England. 



Genus Pelicanus. P. carbo, the corvorant: this 

 bird is not uncommon round the high rocks of the 

 Isle of Wight, where the sailors give them the name of 

 the Isle of Wight Parsons ; it was formerly domestica- 

 ted in this country, and trained to fish for the service of 

 its master. Even so late as the reign of Charles I. it 

 appears that there was an officer of the royal household, 

 entitled master of the corvorants. P. bassanus, the 

 gannett, or solan goose : this bird, in following its prey, 

 is sometimes seen as far south on our coasts as Corn- 

 wall. 



Genus Colymbus. C. grylle ; the spotted guillemot : 

 this bird, common off the coast of Scotland, is sometimes 

 seen off the shores of England. C. septentrionalis, the 

 red-throated diver, is never seen, except in the hardest 

 winters. C. stellatus, speckled diver: while the sprats 

 are in the Thames, this bird accompanies them, from 

 which circumstance they are called sprat-loons. C. 

 cristatus, the crested grebe, breeds in the fenny districts 

 of Lincolnshire, &c. C. auritus, the eared grebe, or 

 dobchick, also breeds in this country, though its regular 

 abode is in the lakes of the north of Europe. C. obscu- 

 rus : dusky grebe, like most others of this genus, is met 

 with in great numbers in the fens, where it breeds. C. 

 urinator, greater dobchick, or loon, is not a common bird 

 in England. 



Genus LOTUS. L. tridactylus, the tarrock ; L. hy- 

 bernus, the winter gull ; L. canus, the common gull ; 

 L. cinerarius, the ledlegged gull ; L. erythropus, the 

 brown-headed gull, breeds not only in the fens of Lin- 

 colnshire, but also near the mouths of rivers, in other 

 parts of England, L. fuscus, the herring gull ; L. ridi- 

 bundua, the black-headed gull ; this species breeds in 

 great numbers in the pools and fens of this country. 



Genus Sterna. S. hirundo, the sea-swallow ; S. mi- 

 nuta, the lesser sea swallow ; S. fissipcs, the black tern, 

 bounds in the fens and in fresh water lakes. 

 GnJl*. Order GRALIJK. Genus Ardea. A. grus, the com- 



mon crane, often visits England, and is sometimes seen 

 in vast flocks in the tens of Lincolnshire and Cambridge- 

 shire. A. ciconia, the common stork ; A. major, the 

 common heicn. Heronries are yet met with in some 

 parts of tins country, though they are not nearly so nume- 

 rous, or so carefully attended to, as they formerly were. 

 A. stellaris, the bittern, about the time of Henry VIII. 

 this bird WHS esteemed a delicious dish at the tables of 

 the great. A. alba, the white heron, is not common in 

 this country. A minutn, the little bittern ; this also is a 

 rare bird. 



Genus Scolopax. S. arquata, the common curlew, is 

 very frequent on our sea coasts, and in the fens during the 

 winter season. S. phaeopus, the whimbrel, is not nearly so 

 common here as the former species. S. rusticola, the 

 woodcock: these birds begin to appear in England early 

 "in October, but the great body do not arrive till Novem- 

 ber or December, when they disperse themselves over 

 the country ; towards the middle of March, they may be 

 observed to be preparing themselves for their departure 

 to their breeding places, coining down to the sea coasts ; 

 as soon as the wind is favourable, they leave this coun- 

 try, but a few sometimes remain behind and breed here ; 

 from the progress of cultivation, they are observed to be 

 becoming gradually more scarce in England. S. major, the 

 great snipe, is a rare bird in England. S. gallinago, the 

 snipe ; S. galinula, the jack-snipe, is much less frequent 

 here than the former. S. pusilla, the dunlin, is common 

 on the coasts of Yorkshire, but seldom met with elsewhere. 

 S. glottis, the greenshank, appears in the winter time, 

 in small flocks. S. calidris, the red-shank, is common 

 in the fens of Lincolnshire. S. totanus, the spotted snipe, 

 is a rare bird ; as are also S. limosa, the stoneplover ; 

 and S. laponica, the red godwit. S. aegocephala, the 

 common godwit, appears in the month of September on 

 the coasts of Lincolnshire, in small flocks ; they are ta- 

 ken in the fens and fattened, when they sell for five shil- 

 lings a piece. S. canescens, the cinereous godwit, is also 

 common in Lincolnshire. S. cantabrigiensis, the Cam- 

 bridge godwit, is generally met with in the vicinity of 

 the town from which it takes its name. 



Genus Tringa. T. pugnax, the ruff: these birds n| 

 pear every spring in the fens of Lincolnshire, and other 

 places of the north of England, where they make a con. 

 siderable article of commerce. Above six dozen have 

 been caught in a morning in one net; and a fowler has 

 been known to obtain, for his own share, 40 or 50 do- 

 zen in a season. They leave this country about Michael- 

 mas. T. vanellus, the lapwing ; T. gambetta, the gam- 

 bet, is a very rare bird, but it has been occasionally shot 

 on the coast of Lincolnshire. T. maculata, the spotted 

 sand-piper, is a bird of passage, and very seldom seen 

 here. T. cinerea, the ash-coloured sand-piper : these 

 birds appear on the coasts of this kingdom, in winter, 

 in large flocks. T. lobata, the grey pharalope, and T. 

 hyperborea, the red pharalope, are seldom seen on the 

 coasts ; the same is the case with respect to T. ochropus, 

 the green sand-piper. T. hypoleucos, the common sand- 

 piper. T. canutus, the knot ; these birds are said to de- 

 rive their name from King Canute, who was fond of 

 them at table ; they are taken in great numbers on the 

 coast, and fattened in the same manner as the ruffs, to 

 which they are preferred by many people. T. cinclus, 

 the purre ; this species comes in very large flocks on the 

 sea coasts during winter, and leaves this country in 

 spring. T. pusilln, the little sand-piper. T. squatarola, 

 the grey sand-piper, is not very common. T. islandica, 



Stall sues. 



